***
Who would have thought that completing the main quests in a game could actually affect reality!
Wu Guanyue was completely dazed by this pie that had fallen from the sky!
Why was this happening? Could it really be that a brain-computer game could stimulate the electrical signals in her muscles? Had technology truly advanced to this degree? If they had such incredible technology, why hadn’t they put it into clinical use immediately instead of turning it into a game and selling it?
Question after question arose, but not one of them remained in Wu Guanyue’s mind for even a second. At that moment, she had only one thought—
Then she had to grind like crazy!!!
Who cared why it was happening? Her leg had moved! Her leg had actually moved!
Who among people like Wu Guanyue had never dreamed of a deity answering their prayers? Now that one really had—if she didn’t seize the opportunity at once and instead wasted time asking questions, what kind of person would that make her?
The quest! Her quest!
This time, she absolutely had to get a five-star rating!
Wu Guanyue sprang up and darted out the door. She moved so fast she seemed quicker than a dark cloud!
Wuyun, who had been curled up on the bed chasing his tail, looked up. “?”
By then, Wu Guanyue had already reached the inn’s main hall.
Since she had just logged out of the game, management mode had automatically taken over. “Automatic management” meant that guests took whatever they wanted and left the money on the counter afterward.
At this moment, two or three tables were occupied in the hall, with people eating and drinking.
A new customer entered and craned his neck to examine the menu board on the wall.
Lu Datong called out, “Sprite thirty copper, baked flatbread four, chilled mixed flatbread six! Stir-fried flatbread’s next door—go over there if you want it!”
The new customer said, “Oh… oh. Then I’ll have a Sprite and a chilled mixed flatbread.”
Without even looking up, Lu Datong said, “Sprite’s over here—help yourself. Flatbread’s over there. Six copper for ten; pick them yourself.”
The new customer fell silent.
Then he exclaimed, “Wait, the customers have to do it themselves?!”
A thin, tall regular sitting nearby laughed. “Come on. The innkeeper’s selling a bowl of Sprite for thirty coppers. What more do you want? The jade-green cold soup at the Xihua Old Shop isn’t something you can afford either!”
The new customer thought it over and decided the man seemed to have a point. He rubbed his nose and shuffled over to serve himself.
Wu Guanyue came rushing down from upstairs—
“Little Boss Wu’s here,” Lu Datong said. “Want something to drink?”
“Lu Datong, Lu Datong, do you know about the Lotus Tournament—”
In short, the first step was to gather background information!
Lu Datong had not yet answered when his companion, Sun Deng, burst out laughing. “Know about it? Old Lu came to Mount Mei specifically to enter the grand competition and fight for—ow!”
Lu Datong drove an elbow into him. “Get lost! Eat your food!”
Only then did he turn back to Wu Guanyue. “Little Boss Wu, you don’t know about the Lotus Tournament?”
Of course Wu Guanyue didn’t know. Although there were all sorts of NPCs in Mount Mei City, what player had the time to interact with every one of them?
Still, it didn’t matter. Lu Datong alone was enough to explain the background to her.
Shenxiao Prefecture revered the Shenxiao Sect above all others. Beneath it were the Nine Peaks and Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens. Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven was one of those Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens. Its current master, Verdant Cloud Adept, was a highly accomplished disciple of the Xuanti Sect of Yuntai Peak, one of the Nine Peaks, and now governed all of Mount Mei.
Oh. Got it. An immortal-cultivation version of the feudal system.
The Shenxiao Sect was like the Son of Heaven of the Zhou dynasty, the Xuanti Sect was a feudal lord, and Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven was a scholar-official beneath that lord. The difference was that, in this immortal-cultivation version, the bonds were formed through master-and-disciple lineages.
Thus, the Nine Peaks and Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens were considered the orthodox cultivation traditions of Shenxiao Prefecture. The other clans and sects might possess considerable strength, but ultimately, they could not be counted among the top tier.
The Lotus Tournament was the grand competition through which Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven selected its inner disciples. Since the champion was decided on the Lotus Platform atop Flying Peak on the final day, the event was popularly known as the “Lotus Tournament.”
After five years as an outer disciple, one had to participate in this competition. Those who failed had to leave the sect and make their own way in the world. Since Shenxiao Prefecture respected the martial path, the first several rounds of the competition were held on platforms set up throughout the city, allowing the common people to learn from the fights.
For that reason, the Lotus Tournament was the grandest event in Mount Mei. Whenever it took place, countless people came from far and wide to watch the arena matches.
This year, there was something even more special about it.
Verdant Cloud Adept had personally declared that he would give wandering cultivators throughout the realm an opportunity. Thus, this year’s Lotus Tournament had opened its doors wide, allowing wandering cultivators to compete on the same stage as disciples of the grotto-heaven.
As a result, there were far more outsiders in the city than usual. For the inn business, this was the busiest of peak seasons. All the major inns were rubbing their hands together, waiting to make a fortune during the grand event.
So that was how it was…
Wu Guanyue pondered.
Then, what she needed to do next was visit all the different parts of the city and see what kinds of products her competitors were preparing to offer.
With Wuyun perched on her head, Wu Guanyue prepared to head out.
Lu Datong had nothing else to do, so he volunteered to accompany her.
Lu Datong had once cultivated in a minor sect, but the sect had later been destroyed in an attack by demons and evil spirits, leaving him a wandering cultivator. After drifting from place to place for years, he heard that Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven would be accepting wandering cultivators this year as well. That was what had brought him to Mount Mei.
After arriving in Mount Mei City, he had spent his time both searching secret realms for rare treasures on behalf of Yuelai Inn and waiting for the sect competition to begin. Because of this, he was something of an insider in the inn business and could explain many things to Wu Guanyue.
[Lu Datong: “Our employer recently asked us to look for red bi feathers. I guess they’re preparing to attract guests with fire spiritual roots.”]
[Lu Datong: “Red bi birds can command fire. You can’t eat their feathers, but you can burn them to extract true-fire essence. Someone with a fire spiritual root can sit inside and meditate while circulating their breath. It’s very useful!”]
So that was how it worked.
[Lu Datong: “That young fellow who was with me, Sun Deng—Boss, you remember him, right? He does the same kind of work. He works for the Xihua Old Shop over there. Recently, they’ve all been in the Bingyi Realm looking for Bingyi swallows!”]
[Lu Datong: “Bingyi swallows can guide water through the meridians. Their nests can be processed into water silk, and fabric woven from water silk—tsk! It’s incredibly cool! The Xihua Old Shop uses it to make bed curtains.”]
So that was how it worked.
It seemed that everyone was mainly preparing to cater to cultivators with water spiritual roots.
There were seven or eight inns along a single street, and each had its own signature guest rooms. Some claimed to possess ice beds that were ideal for meditation and cultivation. Others advertised freshly caught fire prawns from the Suwen River.
Wuyun stared at the prawns, drooling…
Wu Guanyue felt as though rain were pouring down before her eyes.
But in any case, she couldn’t afford them.
A bowl of fire-prawn noodles cost two hundred Shenxiao copper coins, while the cheapest five-colored spiritual-root rooms at Yuelai Inn started at three taels of Tongxuan silver, with no upper limit.
The sky gradually darkened. One by one, the lotus lanterns beneath Yuelai Inn’s upturned eaves lit up. The pale glow shining through more than a hundred windows illuminated the bustling building until it resembled a jade palace in the clouds, magnificent beyond compare.
The two of them turned from the main street onto a side road, where there were far fewer people.
Two elegantly dressed people passed them, chatting as they walked.
“Yuelai Inn has a brazier for burning red bi feathers… Let’s stay there for now.”
“All right, all right! I’ve had enough of squeezing into a crowded dormitory up on the mountain! Hurry up—there won’t be any rooms left if we’re late!”
“We’ll practice the Lihuo Heart Formula later. We can’t focus only on enjoying ourselves and neglect our cultivation!”
A pair of outer-sect senior and junior brothers from Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven passed by Wu Guanyue and entered the Welcoming Inn.
Watching them walk away, Lu Datong suddenly let out a sigh. “Comparing yourself to others is enough to drive a man mad…”
A new side quest suddenly appeared before Wu Guanyue.
[Side Quest: Lu Datong’s Troubles]
[Details: Your regular customer, Lu Datong, is also taking part in this Lotus Grand Tournament. He has always been a bold and forthright man, but you’ve noticed that he may not be as confident as he appears. What is troubling him?]
Wu Guanyue looked at him thoughtfully.
Lu Datong noticed her gaze and suddenly smiled. “Little Shopkeeper Wu, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not that I envy them for being rich. It’s just…”
“That bitch thinks she’s so impressive because her cultivation is high and looks down on the rest of us. What a damn dog! She thinks she can enter the inner sect just because she knows how to cultivate? Dream on!”
“I respect people who work hard at cultivation, but what does that Ye woman mean by looking down her nose at everyone? I’ll put it plainly: if she wants to enter the inner sect, she can forget about it!”
A noisy group suddenly came into the side lane.
Every one of them was dressed in fine silks, though there were naturally different ranks among them. A crowd of young men and women surrounded the young man in their midst. He was drunk and cursing loudly, while the people around him chimed in with insults.
Lu Datong frowned and pulled Wu Guanyue to the side to let them pass. He had no desire to cause trouble.
Who could have imagined that one of them would spot him at a glance?
“Isn’t that Kexin’s opponent?”
The man immediately pointed at Lu Datong and shouted.
The drunken young man being surrounded turned to look. “Really?”
The man who had spoken quickly replied, “Of course! Oh, right, Senior Brother She, he seems to be a servant from Kexin’s family too!”
The drunken young man froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Come on, Kexin. Give him a hundred taels of silver and tell him to withdraw on his own!”
The crowd shoved forward, pushing out a timid-looking boy. He was none other than Zhao Kexin, the son of Boss Zhao, owner of the Welcoming Inn.
Lu Datong was not a servant of the Zhao family, nor would he give up the sect tournament for a hundred taels of silver.
This group of wealthy young men and women had seen a poor man and decided to humiliate him, yet their behavior was no different from a pack of dogs barking. Lu Datong’s expression remained impassive. He merely cupped his hands toward Zhao Kexin.
“Young Master.”
Then he said to Wu Guanyue, “Little Shopkeeper Wu, let’s go.”
Unexpectedly, Senior Brother She drawled, “Who said you could leave?”
“Exactly! Exactly! Who do you think you are? Did Senior Brother She give you permission to leave?”
“Kexin, your family servant doesn’t obey orders. What kind of master are you?”
Being humiliated like this in front of his own family’s inn, Zhao Kexin’s face flushed crimson, and he clenched his fists. But how could he possibly have the courage to pick a fight with Young Master Jie?
He suddenly raised his head and glared viciously at Lu Datong before shouting, “Lu Datong! You’re nothing but a… a peasant! My father took pity on you and gave you a living! Do you really think you’re somebody now? I advise you to give up on the sect tournament. You can’t even build your foundation properly, so just be content with earning enough to survive. And you still want to enter the inner sect!”
He paused, then barked, “What are you waiting for? Get over here and apologize to Senior Brother She!”
None.
